This section is intended to provide a background or context to the invention that is recited in the claims. The description herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not necessarily ones that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the description and claims in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Power riding vehicles are commonly employed in commercial and residential settings to facilitate landscape maintenance. The vehicles represent a convenient and efficient means for performing many tasks related to the care and upkeep of a property. A number of implements have been designed to work with the vehicles to accomplish these tasks, and many such implements are readily available in the marketplace. A mower deck that manages the height of vegetation, such as a grass lawn, by way of cutting action is an example of such an implement.
A mower deck is typically attached to the front or rear of the power vehicle such that the mower deck is substantially parallel to the ground underlying the vehicle. To perform the cutting action, an operator maneuvers the vehicle with the attached mower deck over the area containing vegetation to be cut. The mower deck trims vegetation by way of bringing one or more rotating cutting blades, secured within the body of the mower deck, into contact with the grass blades and or other vegetation. The operator may generally adjust the cutting height of the mower to achieve the desired degree of trimming.
It is sometimes necessary to lift the mower deck away from the ground when the mower deck is not in operation for the purpose of accessing systems on the underside of the mower or to more conveniently store the mower. It is desirable to provide a mower deck that can be toggled between a service and or storage orientation and an operation orientation while the mower deck remains attached to the vehicle. It is further desirable to accomplish the orientation change of the mower deck in an efficient manner with a minimal degree of operator interaction and physical exertion and does not require the mower deck to be manually secured in either the operation or the service/storage orientation when transferring the mower deck between orientations. Likewise, it is desirable to accomplish changes in orientation without disconnecting the power take off shaft, deck mount, or other devices communicating between the vehicle and mower deck. A service/storage orientation is generally achieved by raising the deck through a rotation about an axis located near the vehicle from a substantially horizontal operation orientation, proximate the ground, to a substantially vertical orientation. When the mower deck is orientated in the service/storage position, the underside of the mower deck, including the cutting blades, is accessible for cleaning, maintenance, and other service activities. Likewise, it is desirable to provide a service/storage orientation such that the footprint of the combined vehicle and attached mower deck is minimized so as to consume the least possible horizontal storage space.
A number of mower decks have been developed that incorporate systems that permit the mower deck to be placed in a service/storage orientation. However, these systems generally have certain undesirable attributes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,055 describes a pivoting mower deck mechanism. However, in this system the operator must dismount the vehicle, disconnect the power take off shaft and disengage a locking mechanism that maintains the mower deck in an operational orientation. Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 6,347,503 describes a flip-up arrangement for a mower deck where the deck may be moved between an operation orientation and a service/storage orientation. However, again, the operator must disconnect the power take off shaft, attach a deck stand, and unlock securing mechanisms prior to raising the mower deck to the raised position.
It is also desirable to permit adjustment of the cutting height of the mower deck to control the amount of vegetation trimmed when the mower deck passes overhead. It is further desirable to accomplish the height adjustment in an efficient manner with a minimal degree of operator interaction. A number of mower decks have been developed that employ a variety of mechanisms to permit relatively efficient adjustment of the mower deck cutting height. However, each of these designs has certain limitations. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,035 discloses a mower deck mounting system that permits adjustment of the cutting height. However, to adjust the height in this system the operator must dismount the vehicle, lift an adjustment lever until it disengages from its position aperture, maneuver the lever forward or rearward, and then reengage the lever into a new aperture in order to adjust the cutting height of the deck.
It is further desirable to accomplish adjustment of the mower height and toggling between the operation and service/storage orientations through an automated system but possess certain design or operational limitations. Mower decks that incorporate automation for these tasks have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,475,971 describes a riding mower where the mower deck may be raised to a service/storage orientation through a system of hydraulic actuators. However, this device requires a second independent set of actuators to adjust the cutting height of the mower. Likewise, U.S. Publication No. 2006/0010846 describes an automated flip-up arrangement for a mower deck. An electronic height adjustment assembly is employed to adjust the cutting height and to move the mower deck between an operation and service/storage orientation. However, a system of spacers that are manually installed onto the mower deck by an operator are employed in conjunction with the electrical actuator to set and secure the deck at the desired cutting height. Similarly, the system of spacers must be manually removed from the mower deck by an operator before the electrical actuator may be employed to raise the mower deck into the service/storage orientation.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a mower deck with an efficient cutting height adjustment system and an efficient system for changing the orientation of the mower deck between the operation orientation and the service/storage orientation. It is further desirable to provide these distinct functions in a unified mechanism and operator interface to minimize the number of components for ease of manufacturing and ease of use. Furthermore, it is desirable to carry out the functions in an automated manner such that the operator may toggle between service/storage orientations as well as adjust the mower cutting height through one simple interface, thereby avoiding manual intervention during either cutting height adjustment or a change of orientation of the mower deck.